\u201cThe school shows them all the great things about family medicine early and often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Jobin Varughese, associate vice president of academics at William Osler Health System, is well-versed in primary care and has a unique understanding of the state of the practice in Brampton. Currently serving as interim assistant dean of primary care education within the brand new School of Medicine at Toronto Metropolitan University and president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, one of his\u2013and the program\u2019s\u2013goals is introducing new doctors to family medicine and keeping them in the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA high percentage of people will stay in their area,\u201d Varughese tells INsauga.com, citing his experience working with medical trainees within the McMaster and William Osler Health System (which operates Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial) organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily residents had about a 60 per cent chance of staying in the area. We want to embed them in the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After more than two years in development, the Greater Toronto Area\u2019s first new medical school in over 100 years opened in Brampton this month.<\/p>\n
First announced in January of 2023, TMU\u2019s new School of Medicine is a welcome addition to a community where demand for family physicians is high.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2023, data shared by the Ontario College of Family Physicians\u00a0indicated that more than 223,000 people in the Region of Peel (comprising Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon)\u00a0do not have a family doctor,\u00a0<\/a>and this number is projected to reach 430,000 by\u00a02026.\u00a0<\/p>\n The college said if more isn\u2019t done, approximately one in four Ontarians (that\u2019s 4.4 million people) will be without a family doctor by next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond bringing more physicians to the region to learn (and, ideally, practice), a report by TMU also said the new school is expected to create over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in Peel Region, and generate between $1.2 to $2.6 billion in economic activity over the next decade.<\/p>\n The school will also have two primary care teaching clinics<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an earlier statement, TMU President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi said the new Brampton school is the first in Canada to offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs simultaneously, and it features a record number of 16 unique residency programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Varughese says he\u2019s been involved with the new school since last January and that, almost two years later, it\u2019s exciting to feel the buildings \u201ccome alive\u201d with the presence of students\u2013many of whom he runs into around the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll head over to Bramalea City Centre to grab something and I\u2019ll run into students there.\u201d<\/p>\n Varughese says that 94 students are in their first year of medical training and that while they have four years to pick their path, the school is hoping to entice future MDs to get involved in family medicine\u2013a field that allows doctors to practice not just in outpatient clinics, but also in emergency departments, labour and delivery wards and palliative care settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a lot of family medicine physicians as their facilitators and [will get] primary care experience, so they get to be in family medicine clinics in the community,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn April 2027, half of the students do longitudinal clerkships, and half of that time is in a family physician\u2019s office. The hope is that when they go to residency, they can do it in the clinics they\u2019ve worked in. You\u2019ll have people really invested in these learners, as they\u2019ll have seen them through their whole training,\u201d Varughese says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that TMU is doing is ensuring that doctors they\u2019re training get out to areas of high need, including rural and remote areas. We aim for our own area because we need to shore up some of the needs we have.\u201d<\/p>\n The area, although urban and dense, is both underserved and experiencing growth. As of now, Brampton\u2013a city of close to 800,000 people\u2013only has one full-service hospital. Earlier this year, however, the province announced that William Osler\u2019s Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness will undergo significant expansion<\/a> to become Peel Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n Once the project is complete, the new hospital will offer new and enhanced services, including a 24-hour emergency department. It will also provide additional specialized care for patients who require extended hospital stays.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a new hospital coming up means more opportunities for people to serve the communities and the hospital,\u201d Varughese says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although the program is new, students already say they\u2019re enjoying the experience and looking forward to working in the community once their training is complete.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I decided that I wanted to apply to [medical school], it was hard because there aren\u2019t a lot in this region,\u201d\u00a0 Zaynashae Boreland, a first-year medical student at TMU, tells INsauga.com.<\/p>\n Boreland, born and raised in Mississauga, knew she wanted to work in medicine after being treated for kidney disease as a child. After studying at the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, she became a registered nurse at SickKids Hospital in Toronto (where she underwent surgeries as a child). While she describes the experience as \u201cfull circle,\u201d she knew she wanted to be in a position where she could have more influence over the care of her patients.\u00a0<\/p>\n She also wanted to study somewhere close to home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have three little sisters and I missed those four years when I was gone. The youngest is 11, so I didn\u2019t want to miss out on those years of her growing up,\u201d Boreland says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw that TMU was creating their medical school, I could\u2019ve almost cried, to be honest. I can actually stay home, stay in a familiar environment, stay with my family in the times when I\u2019ll need them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n